Event

Linnaean Libation League No. 6: Russian Retreat

In winter's heart of darkness, as holiday decorations wilt and resolutions are as yet unconsummated, Brooklyn Botanic Garden presents an evening celebrating the dark magic of the season, inspired by turn-of-the-century Russian parlors and the shadowy forests outside their windows. Music, spirits, and a literary tribute will encourage guests to embrace the forbidding conditions of winter and recognize the season's bleak beauty.

Guests will arrive and, cradling a mug of mulled cider, enjoy the plaintive strains of the balalaika, a traditional Russian stringed instrument. The event will then move into the Garden's historic 1918 Palm House, where hors d'oeuvres reminiscent of the era, featuring a specially chosen caviar on Z Crackers, will be offered, against the sonic backdrop of a somber playlist by Handpicked Music. A specially selected vodka will be poured, and its horticultural origins will be toasted by a member of Brooklyn Botanic Garden's staff.

At 5 p.m., a special literary guest will offer an homage to the famous forests of Russia which taken together make up nearly a quarter of the globe's forest coverand their dramatic winter landscape.

Guests are encouraged to arrive clad in the fashion of the empire: long skirts and beards, heavy wool, tall hats, pocket watches, cloaks, laced boots, and embroidery. A photo booth with dusty volumes of poetry, forest trimmings, and other era-appropriate props will help create visual memories of this unforgettable evening.